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So after a lot of searching, I was not able to locate any threads specific to putting Flanders bars on an RSTD other than which ones and that they work well. I have wanted to do this for a while but was apprehensive about the cable and hose length when I saw different pictures of scooters with the new bars on. After starting to develop a sore left shoulder blade, my wife said it was time for me to go for it. Worst case, put the stock bars back on and sell the Flanders. Good enough. Since I couldn’t find a thread specific to RSTD's, I figure this was a good chance for me to contribute to the site and other RSTD owners who may want to put these bars on their scooter but are not sure how to do it or may be a little nervous about tearing apart their bike. Who knows, it may even end up in the tech library . I am mechanically inclined and I do most all my own car/house/electrical work. In hind sight, this job can be done by anyone with a small amount of skill, a few tools and the guts to try something. Really, what’s the worst that could happen? That being said, after I bought the bars, I was ready to tackle this project. I tore into this about 5 PM on Thursday and finished up around 10 PM (without putting the end weights on, more on that later) that same night. I did some internet price searching and found the bars that are recommended at a great price on this web site http://www.xtremerevolution.com/Store/spc-12346-19-7-flanders-1-inch-handlebars.aspx. I want to throw a BIG plug for these folks. They listed the bar for $120.95 on their site which is a GREAT price IMHO. I figured out that their store is here in San Diego, so I called them and went to pick up the bars (no shipping cost). When I got there, they sold me the bars at a discount as compared to the online price (maybe a break for being military) and I got them for $120.66 out the door (after the ‘governator’ got his cut of course). ALL the folks there were really friendly and most of them ride. Overall had a great experience and will go back for other custom parts. Here are the specifics on the Flanders bar as compared to the stock bar: 650-08373, Flanders Pullback Handlebars, Chrome, Metric Knurled (4" in side x 5" out side) - - - - - - - - Flanders - -Stock (06-09 RSTD) Height: - - - -9”- - - - - -8” Pullback: - -18.5”- - - -16.5” Center: - - - 8.5” - - - - 8” Width: - - - - 33”- - - - -33” Diameter - - 1”- - - - - -1” Here is the visual difference: The first two pics shows the pull back, the bar knurls are on top of each other. This one shows the added rise: Here are the steps I took. First step was to remove the windshield and put somewhere safe. Second and probably the most important one, COVER EVERYTHING in the area that is painted or chromed (ask me how I know this). I covered the tank, light bucket to start and then the cowling (after the aforementioned ‘ask me’ incident) so as not to ding anything as I went. After covering everything, I removed the speedometer, two 8mm bolts in the back and 1 allen bolt in the front. Once the speedo is loose, there is one connector covered by a rubber boot. To remove the connector, slide back the boot and there is a catch on the top in the center (yellow arrow). Push that in and the connector will come right out with a little jiggling. Below the speedometer are two black quick release zip ties. Lift the tab sticking out of the tie to release the lock, remove and set aside for later. After the zip ties, I released the plastic clamps that hold the cables on the sides of the stock handle bars, no pics of this, I just slid the clamp portion apart by hand and they opened right up. Now all the cables and hoses were loose. Next I removed the brake and clutch reservoirs. Pop out the chrome caps that cover the bolts then remove the two allen bolts that hold the clamp to the bar. HOLD ONTO THE MIRROR as you loosen the bolts, it will slip and turn (ask me how I know this one too). Once the bolts were out, I placed the assembly over the front of the forks between my head lamp and driving light. Repeat same process for the other side for the clutch reservoir. After the clutch is off, it’s easy to get to the two Phillips screws that hold the turn signal housing. Remove the screws and both assemblies can be put off to the side or front to keep them out of the way. Next I removed the throttle housing held in by two Phillips screws: Once the two screws are removed, the back half with the cruise control buttons and kill switch can be placed off to the side, just slip the wire housing out from the bottom of the front piece of the chrome housing. I had forgot this until later when it FELL OFF and hit the cowling (see first ‘ask me’ statement). Next, I loosened the throttle cables so the grip and the rest of the housing can be removed. I loosened the lock nut on the cable and then turn the adjusting screw to the stop to allow the most slack on the upper cable. This loosened the top cable enough to allow for removal from the throttle. I turned the throttle clockwise (as looking) at it as I slipped a scribe under the cable to pull it over the channel and then pushed the end through the holder. Picture isn’t real clear in the area I was working, but you get the idea. With the upper cable removed, the lower cable comes off easily the same way. Now the housing can be put off to the side. Next step is to remove the bar end weights. Pop the chrome cap and remove the center allen bolt. If this is the first time you are removing this bolt, it may be tight due to having red thread lock on it. With the bar end weight off, the throttle will slip off easily (make sure it doesn’t fall off when you remove the bar end weight). Remove the clutch side bar end the same way. At this point the stock bars should be pretty naked, accept the clutch side grip. I held off on removing this grip until I knew that the bars were going to fit the way I wanted, but it can be remove easily at any point. I slipped a scribe (small screw driver will work) between the grip and the bar and slowly moved it around the bar being careful not to damage the inside of the grip. Then I sprayed some lube (I used Sea Foam spray lubricant, but WD-40 or equivalent will work) between the grip and the bar. I worked it back and forth, this loosened the grip and it slipped right off. The stock bars are now ready to be removed. They are held in by two clamps with two allen bolts each. Loosen one bracket at a time. When you loosen the second bracket, HOLD ON TO THE HANDLE BARS (ask me how I know this one, glad the tank was covered). With the clamps off, the bars are free for removal. The new bars are ready to be put on. Just install them in the clamps and make sure they are centered between them. I positioned them in a neutral spot for height knowing I would have to adjust them once everything was on. This allowed for testing cable, wire and hose lengths. In order to make things easier, I removed the bracket at the top of the forks. Two allen bolts and it comes right off. This can be done before installing the new bar; I just didn’t realize I needed to until I got to this point. I found that the left side cables and hoses had plenty of room, but the right was going to be the challenge. The first thing I noticed that would need to change was the routing of the throttle cable. The cable was under the wire run to the headlight. The pencil in this picture is on top of the throttle cables and is pointing to the wire going to the head light is. In order to get the cables over the top, I needed to remove them from the chrome housing. I didn’t want to try and fit the chrome housing through the small space and scratch it when getting the cables off was so easy. One Phillips screw holds the clamp for the top cable and then it slips right out. The bottom one is screwed in, need to release the lock nut and then turn it off. Count the number of turns to remove so you know how far is goes back in when you reinstall. No pics, but pretty easy to do. Once the cables are out of the housing, it was a simple matter of feeding them back under the wire going to the head light. The cable now goes over the wire giving extra length and better options for routing. I had to test fit the throttle over the ends a couple times to find the right routing. The mounting of the throttle housing needs a hole in the bar to hold it in place. I measured the stock hole location so the mounting would be the same on the new bars. Stock location should be 6 19/32”. The tape was slipping when I took the picture, but 6 9/16” would work. The length from the end was easy; getting it the right way vertically was more challenging. I lined up the stock bars next to the Flanders to get a good idea of where to hole should be. The rest I just eyeballed. I marked the hole and then placed the housing pin over the mark to make sure it was in the right place. The picture shows two marks, the first one was for horizontal, the second for vertical, so the lower mark is the one I was using to test with. After lining up the housing and checking the about 10 times (a little nervous about drilling a hole in the bars), I took a swig of beer and hit the mark with a punch to dent the bar. Then a couple more swallows of beer, it was time to drill. After drilling a small pilot hole, I used a graduated metal bit to enlarge the hole to the right size. I put the throttle housing in the hole and everything lined up great. Next hurdle was the brake line. The stock position is in front of the forks and there was not enough slack to position the brake reservoir properly without really putting strain on the hose. I decided that I wanted to move the hose to the back of the forks as others have mentioned doing, but I didn’t want to remove the brake hose to do it (draining system, re-bleeding, blah blah). After some fiddling, I figured out that there was not enough room to fit the reservoir between the forks and the tank without some help by removing parts. I removed the right mirror (NOTE: the threading on the right mirror is reverse, that is why there is a notch in the lock nut) and the brake handle. The headlight bucket was also in the way and had to be moved to the left. Three 8mm bolts from the inside and it was loose and moved out of the way. With the fork at the left lock, a little fiddling and slow moves, I fit the reservoir through the gap in the forks. I had to go hose first, reservoir upright and clamp hole toward fork. Sorry I didn’t get pics of that step. I did the shift without hurting anything. I can tell you it was a tight fit, but go slow and you can do it. Once I had the hose through, the main thing I was concerned about was pinching the hose between the forks and the frame or tank when the bars were at the right locks. As long as the hose is next to the fork, there was no binding or pinching. This was accomplished later by zip tying the hose to the wires. If you use Zip ties, do not pull them too tight, don't want them hurting the brake hose. Just enough to hold it in place worked. (I had to go back and take these pics because the first ones didn’t come out well so these show everything put back together.) The wires and hose for the right side going to the cruise control and the brake had to be routed under the speedo and closer to the handlebar bracket. I thought I might have to pull the tank and find more slack on the wires, but turns out just messing with the routing gave enough play. The throttle cables used to go under the bracket for the windshield, when I was done; they ended up coming through the gap in the speedo housing. I had to bend the guide down to get the cables to stay down some. This shows where the cable goes under the Speedo housing. The left side was much easier. The wires and hoses just ran tighter to the bars but there was plenty of room. When I put on the left grip, I figured I would have to use some grip tape or adhesive. I was positioning the grip in place just to test fit and after it sat for a minute or two, the thing didn’t move, so I just left it. (fortunately, it was in the right place) I figure there must have been enough adhesive residue left on it to hold. Since finishing, I have had the bike out in the sun and heat and it still doesn’t move, so I held off putting anything under it. If it shifts at all, I will put some grip tape under it. You may want to use some to start with, your call. Everything gets mounted back the same way it came off except the bar end weights (more on those at the end). There is no alignment hole for the turn signal housing, just put it the way you had it or whatever is comfortable. You will have to re-align your mirrors because of the height and pullback change, but that is easy. I am sure everyone has done that, but if not, the directions are in the owner’s manual. Before putting the speedo and the headlight back on, I moved the bars lock to lock several times to make sure there was no binding or pinching. Everything was clear, so I put her all back together. Tested the throttle several times as I went, pulling lock to lock to make sure there were no issues. Worked great with no binding. I also tested the bar height to get close. I knew I would have to adjust them after riding and I was right. I had them too high to start so I just pull the speedo back off, loosened the clamps a little and pulled them down. Just make sure they don’t hit your legs at the locks. Last step was to reset the throttle play by tightening up the cable nut and then setting the lock nut. After everything was back on, I had to wait until the next morning to test ride. Between the late hour and having consumed several Guinness drafts during the change, I opted to wait until morning. My buddy that was helping me told me when we were done that we should have got picture of the arm position with the stock bars and then with the Flanders. Of course, we didn’t think of this until after the Flanders bar was on. Oh well, not putting the stock one back on for that. I can tell you that these bars are incredible. It is so much nicer to have that extra pull back, has to be one of the best mods next to the air horns. Not sure if I notice the height change as much, but there are more options for positions overall. Here is what you can expect to see when the project is done. (Ignore the man in the mirror, he is insignificant) ======================================================================== THE STOCK BAR ENDS As promised, here is my idea for keeping the stock bar end weights. Not sure if I should have put this in a separate thread, but here it is. I have read where several people changed to the ISO grips with the Flanders handle bars, but I really like the stock grips and weights, and I don’t like the stiletto bar ends that go with the ISO grips, so I had to figure out how to put the stock weights back on. I read Freebird’s tech article on switching the stock bar end weight holders, but when I took the grips off, there were no tack welds to be found. I think they may be pressed in. I pulled on them, put a bolt in and hit it with a hammer and the things won’t budge. So that solution wasn’t going to work. I may try more later on, but I don’t want to hurt the stock bars as I plan on selling them at a later date. Here is my fix for keeping the stock bar ends. It was a little different, but it worked. I figure they need some rubber so they are flexible and absorb the vibration so I came up with this plan. I went to the hardware store and picked up a 1/4x4” bolt, ¼” flat washer and matching nut. Also picked up a nylon spacer, 1” long, 1/2“ OD and .257” ID. They are in the bins at Home Depot in the bolt isle. I cut the spacer in half with a hack saw at a heavy angle so it looked like this: Then I ran the bolt through the weight and the spacer, putting a washer in between the spacer and the nut on the end. The theory being that if the spacer is pulled together, it will expand as I tightened the bolt. Next I covered the spacer with a strip of old inner tube I had lying around (kind of a pack rat). I wrapped it until it was the same diameter as the inside of the handle bars, about 7/8”. I had to keep test fitting and cutting back on the amount of tubing until it was snug inside the bar. The final layer was a short piece of grip tape (from changing my golf club grips, again, I am a packrat). Make sure the first layer of rubber hits the nut to keep it from moving. I could have glued the nut to the spacer, but this worked too. I ended up with the tape because I found the rubber would slip a little while trying to tighten the end down. Now it’s ready to fit into the bar. Before putting it in the last time with the tape, I put a light layer of lighter fluid on the tape. This allowed the rubber and tape to slip into the hole and evaporates pretty fast. After it set for a minute to let the lighter fluid evaporate, I twisted the bar end clockwise and it snugged right up. I tugged a couple of times and it held. It took several attempts to get it right, including pushing rubber into the throttle, and having to thump the left one with a rubber mallet to seat it, but with a little patience, it worked. I have ridden the bike several times since I did this and the bar ends are just as tight as when I started. I was a little worried about losing one, but it seems to be holding. If this changes and one pops out, you folks will be the first to know. I am still going to try and get the stock nuts out of the stock bars, but that is later. Hope this helps some of your folks out. (I can tell you this. I have a new respect for all the contributors who have written articles for the tech library.)

Mornin' folks, On the 8th of july I bought a 2008 venture. Now have 10200 miles loged and the rear tire seems to be wearing away really fast. Two questions, How close to the wear bars can I run it and is the stock tire that came with the bike the best? Don't seam like many miles to be worn out already. Thanks in advance Herb:Venture:

I have a 2009 RSTD and I was told there is a way to combine the braking so that you get the braking like there is on the new bikes. So when you apply either the hand brake or the foot brake you get a combination of both. Obviously it will require a proportioning valve but I am hoping someone smarter than me has figured this out and outlined how to do it for us simple folk that need the help. I also would like my bars a little closer to me I was told to remove the bars flip the riser 180 degrees and reinstall them. This almost works except it hits the fork nut and would require the bracket be milled and then I think the bars would hit the same nut. Thanks for the help, Slim Pick

I hit a small (300 - 400 ) cow or steer in California yesterday. I was headed home to Vegas from a 3 day ride with 4 buddies, we had just turned onto 166 from the 101 near Santa Maria. There were cattle ranches on both sides of the road, all fenced in and I saw a coyote out in the middle of the field. Just up to around 55, I was leading the group when a black cow comes out of the bushes on the right side directly in front of me. It was around 30 feet away, saw me tried to stop and fell down. I had time to say "oh S t" and grab brakes. I ran over it's rear legs and the hind end hit the right side axle, fairing and crash bars. Thanks God or my guardian angel, I was able to stay up and stop up the road. The impact crushed the crash bars into the foot brake and floorboard pushing them into my foot and ankle. I'm sore and swollen, but think it's ok. When I climbed off t he VR, the cow was gone, my buddies said it dragged itself back into the bushes, where it died not long afterwards. My bud at the tailgunner has race training and accident avoidance training. He said there was no way I could have missed it. I'm grateful that it fell down or I probably wouldn't be typing this. That VR is a heavy, solid bike. We were able to borrow a crow bar from the CHP officer and bend the bars back so the bike was drivable, and continue on home to Vegas. The trip up and down the PCH 1 to Monterey and the back hills above Santa Barbara were awesome. Everyone stay safe out there!!

I know that a lot of people swap the RSTD bars to the RSV for wider bars and more pullback. So does that mean that I can throw a set of RSV bars directly on my RSTD? I am pretty tall and actually liked the RSV bars. Just sitting on the RSTD, the reach and angles feel funny to me for some reason. I am thinking I could put the RSV bars on pretty quickly without having to change any control wires or hoses. So has anyone done this? I would actually like mini apes eventually, but with Xmas close, I am trying to keep costs down for now.

Test rode a Vision today and it was a smooth ride, however I think the bike I rode was defective it clunked really bad when you changed gears and had no power on acceleration. The handle bars seemed way to high does anyone know if they are adjustable?

Hi All, I was perusing on fleabay and found a couple pairs of RSV passenger grab bars. I have an 06 RSTD. Are these something that are easily added to the RSDT if I don't have an RSV trunk? Thanks in advance Dave

Does anyone know what company made the lights that go in the light bars that wrap around the trunk and saddlebags? I need to find a replacement for one as the lens is broken. Thanks for any info....[ATTACH]72923[/ATTACH]

The fairing I won on Ebay didn't work out so I'm still looking for one for my 2007 RSTD. Does anyone have a Reckless fairing on their Royal Star. If so does it fit high on the bike? In the pictures on the website it looks like it fits kinda upright and away from the handle bars. I would appreciate any input.Also, has anyone put one of those handlebar stereo systems on their bike? What kind?

A friend of mine went off the deep end ( midlife crisis ? ) and bought a 2013 Victory Vegas 8-Ball. I rode it yesterday. Several questions.. I have NEVER heard a shifter clank so loud while shifting gears. Do they have a little midget troll in there with a 20 lb sledge hammer changing gears ? Also, when you let go of the handle bars it leans/pulls hard to the right. ( I know why let go of the handle bars) I would think that "fighting" that pull over a long distance would get tiring on a long ride. Has 200 miles on it now, and it seems to backfire when decelerating. So is all this normal for a Victory ?

BaggerShield has just released 2 new models of cruiser windshields. The Patriot windshield is available in 15" and 18" height. These shields are mounted to your handlebars (7/8" up to 1-1/4" bars). The mounting clamps slide in and out from 3" to 9" to accommodate any other accessories you might have on your bars. The shields can be adjusted up and down 2" and the angle of the shield can be adjusted to whatever angle you like. The mounting hardware is made of a very high quality, chrome plated, billeted aluminum and the shield itself is made of 3/16" thick aircraft grade Lucite. Click on each picture to bring you to their product page for more details. http://i1204.photobucket.com/albums/bb402/BaggerShield/TB-PAT-18Web.jpg http://i1204.photobucket.com/albums/bb402/BaggerShield/TB-PAT-15Web.jpg

I know this has been decussed before,but I need to know if I install 1 1/2 risers what do I do about the rubber bushing between the bars and fairing? Is there a replacement for this bushing?

I swapped the risers and my rsv bars for the rstd. It was an easy swap butt now i have a qiestion. Upon full turn the plastic cable supports just touch the tank, has anyone had this issue? On the rsv bars the cables are on the outside and the rstd the bottom. Upon my initial ride it feels much better to me than risers but now I need a long ride for a full opinion. I know my hands are outside the fairing protection but I may buy or make some handlebar deflectors if I like the feel of this on the long haul.

http://www.autoblog.com/2012/06/26/biker-gets-surprise-visit-from-155-mph-snake/?ncid=txtlnkwbauto00000002

HellI just talked to Buckeye performance and they told me a minimum of 4 weeks and they are considering discontinueing the line. He said he will not be keeping them in stock as they are not selling as well as in the past, but will order them as needed. So I will be placing and order and if you have been thinking about it now is the time. The whole package with ss lines, bar end kit, slip over grips, bars, and all necessary cables is $582.00. You can save $40 by not going with the SS lines.

I thought it was going to be Xmas today, as I was expecting a couple of packages from vendors, and indeed the packages did show up. Yeah for UPS ! Package # 1 contained my new Flanders bars, and my new upgraded high output stator, all from Rick at Buckeye Performance. I am planning on installing the upgraded stator sometime in August, because I have rides between now and then, and that way I have it on before I go on the Three Flags Classic. So today I went about installing the new Flanders bars, part # 650-08783. All went as expected, no issues, and while I did maintain the positioning of wires and hoses on the clutch side, as they were originally...I did reroute all the wires and hoses on the throttle side to be behind the triple tree. I also installed new Kury Iso-grips, in all black...without the weighted bar ends. I am happy with the installation, and in a short time I will get used to the newer longer bars, and the position they now put me in. I (believe) it will be a good thing, as I knew the OEM bars were too far forward. Package # 2 contained my new Ultimate seat for my '06 RSMTD. (drum roll please) Now folks, I have been around a long time, and as the name states...I have over a million miles on my butt. I knew when I took this seat out of the box that this was going to be a problem. I have owned over 25 motorcycles during the past 42 years of riding, and have had 9 saddles made by Russell Day-Long saddles. I am well known for being able to ride over 2,000 miles in 24 hours, so...I knew when I saw this seat that someone on the planet just surpassed Mike Corbin for making the worlds worst motorcycle seat. I went ahead and mounted the new seat on my bike. Sat on it...cursed a few times...got back off the bike...looked it all over...took several measurements...sat back on the seat again...cursed several more times...and decided to be a glutin for punishment and take the bike for a ride. After 100 miles, which was a waste of time, I knew I had to send this new seat back. The Ultimate seat website states that their seats are the same dimensions as the OEM seat, and positions the rider in the same place. That is not true. The "pocket" on this Ultimate seat is exactly 2" forward compared to the OEM seat. I felt like I was riding up on the tank. The quasi-back rest/butt rest at the back end of the seat is very much exaggerated in a forward position. I was hoping to TRY this seat on my ride next week to northern Calif., and if the seat worked, then I could cancel my appointment at Russell to have them build seat # 10 for me. I truly and honestly wanted this seat to work...because it would have saved me $ 300.00 off the cost of the Russell seat, when I include tarvel, motel, etc. Now, I know...there are different seats for different butts. And if you have an Ultimate seat...and you like it, that is great. I am happy for you. And if you have a Corbin seat, and also like it, I am happy for you too. But for me, the Ultimate seat now has the title of the worst seat in the world, followed closely by Corbin. There is a reason that 80 % of the bikes at the start of an IronButt Rally have a Russell saddle on them. I know that Terry and the folks at Russell can build a seat for me...in person...that will allow me to be comfortable riding 1500 mile days. I hate to spend the extra bucks, but in this case, you truly do get what you pay for. That new Ultimate seat that showed up at noon today, will be shipped out tomorrow morning...back to Florida.

.....since my friend Jana was killed last July. Finally his killer is getting some court time. Her lawyer is playing all the poor me angles.... All I want is this lady behind bars so I do not have to stand on the side of a highway and give another eulogy for a fallen rider. http://www.facebook.com/l.php?u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.timescolonist.com%2Fnews%2FWoman%2Bpleads%2Bguilty%2Bfatal%2Bcrash%2F6811255%2Fstory.html&h=XAQHMYCCrAQGBIfUJZmRjK2ws4rF3rV9Le-WML6npTCf_lA

I want to move my handle bars back a little. After my first "long distance" ride to MD I came to the conclusion that the pain in my shoulders was due to reaching forward to grip the bars. Si I took off the ignition switch cover and removed the big nuts and moved each bar back 1 spline. Due to the rake angle this also lowered the grips to the point that they were hitting the battery/air cleaner cover. So I loosened the upper bar nuts and raised the grip by 1 spline. this got them back to their original height. I have been riding it this way for a week now to try to get used to the new feel but I just don't like the new feel either. I do like the for/aft position as I can now utilize the backrest to actually support my back better since I am not leaning forward. When the bars came back it also moved them a lot closer together and angled them back more. This combined with having to raise the grips for clearance puts the grips an an angle that causes a significant outward bend in my wrists that is uncomfortable. Also with the grips closer together I am no longer pushing into the curves but more of a pulling the bars sideways type of feel. This makes the bike feel very unsteady at low speed and I do not feel like I have solid control at high speed. I was thinking of getting out the hot wrench to re-bend the bars to get back to the correct ergonomic angle for my wrists. and end up closer to having the effect of the bars just being moved straight back and not closer together. Before I attack it with the torch I want to acquire a spare set of bars, JUST in case. Or does anyone have any other ideas to just move the bars straight back without messing up everything else? While searching, I did find someone that was going to make a set of 1st gen bar backs. I thought of that but I have no way to make an internal and external spline to mount the bars to.

About to buy one, but I don't recall this... Does the Tour Deluxe have 1" or 1-1/4" bars on it?

I have a brother that just purchased a very well taken care of '86 Goldwing. It puffs some blue smoke at cold start-up for a few seconds. He was told to try Bars Leaks engine stop leak with conditioner. He's wondering if it will mess with the clutch plates. With the wealth of knowledge on this site, maybe you'd have some comments. Thanks Ventureriders. Brian in Mankato, MN 2000 RSV

Hi All, Added a few new parts to my new (to me) 96 Royal. Cobra drag pipes, Corbin Solo Seat, Barons Star Bars, Kuryakyn Curved lighted licence plate holder, Barons Ultimate Light Bar and rear fender rack. I am happy with the new parts but as always there is more to do. Next is internally wiring the bars, blacking out and polished fins on the engine covers, tacho, braided lines all round, bigfoot mod and Dyna ignition. Ahh, so much to do....so little money.

I am wondering if my bikes fuel gauge is operating normally. Someone in another post said with one or two bars left on the fuel ga. they had gone 110 miles. My gauge, with two bars left, only takes about 2.5 gals to fill it back up. Is this normal with these gauges? My trip odometer does not work, however, a round trip to work and back is about 100 miles. When I refill, it usually takes about 2.5 gals.

Well this is very odd.. Its happened more than once this year where I would pull in for fuel, top right up to the gunnels and when I ride away, for the next 2 to 4 miles down the road, the gauge will read two to three bars down from full.. then slowly add bars until full bars are showing. I'll arrive at destination, 12 or 20 miles down the road, shut off the bike and then roll away after a while.. the fuel gauge shows 1/2 full bars.. but only 20 miles total run since fill up.. then the bars creep up to full or down one bar. Something is sticking.. On a long round about right hand turn off the highway, with the bike leaning hard to the right side, the fuel gauge once again read much lower that it should have for the amount of distance travels but the bars didn't increase. Its doesn't happen all the time, can't seem to pin it down to any specific conditions.. but oddly enough, my buddy with his 2008 does the same thing from time to time.. His bike did this often last summer but it cleared itself.. Any idea what we might start looking at to start trouble shooting this issue? 15 days to road trip, it's something I'd love to clear up.. Cheers

I put a set of bars that came off my 2007 Tour Deluxe in the classifieds. Thought I would mention it here so if anyone is looking for an excellent set used for their Venture. Fuzzy

Every time I have seen my Grand Princess, I have sat her on my knee with her holding on to the "handle bars" ( AKA my thumbs) while I made motor noises and bounced her on my knee. Just got her a real 1st Gen..AKA dinosaur "bike". At 7 1/2 months old...she LOVES it ! She holds on to the handle bars and makes her own lip noise. Cries if you stop pushing her or trying to take her off it. Now to figure out how to fit a baby seat on my bike with out Mommy or Grandma knowing...